Migration News
Hangar fire at Atsugi injures 3
Stars and Stripes
November 16, 2009
A Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, firefighter prepares to cut a hole in the roof of Hangar 183 on Saturday after a fire there was suppressed. The fire was reported about 11:45 a.m., and fire departments from the air facility and Yamato and Ayase cities responded. Officials said three people were injured. (Tim McGough / S&S)
TOKYO — A fire at a Naval Air Facility Atsugi hangar Saturday left two Japanese workers hospitalized and a third with minor burns, base and Japanese fire officials said.
The fire was reported at about 11:55 a.m. at Hangar 183, base spokesman Tim McGough said.
Three Obayashi Corporation workers were burned and transported to Kitazato Hospital in Sagamihara City, he said, adding that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Two people suffered burns that could require three weeks of hospitalization, an Ayase Fire Department official said. The third person suffered minor burns and was released.
Kitazato Hospital officials declined comment on the extent of their injuries.
Part of the hangar wall and an office attached to the hangar sustained damage, the Ayase official said.
The fire was largely suppressed by about 12:45 p.m., though fire control measures continued for hours afterward, officials said.
The Yamato, Ayase and base fire departments all responded to the fire, McGough said.